The offenses against the chanting of the holy name are as follows:

(1) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord.

(2) To con¬sider the names of demigods like Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma to be equal to, or independent of the name of Lord Vishnu. (Sometimes the atheistic class of men take it that any demigod is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. But one who is a devotee knows that no demigod, however great he may be, is independently as good as the Supreme Per-sonality of Godhead. Therefore, if someone thinks that he can chant “Kali, Kali!” or “Durga, Durga!” and it is the same as Hare Krishna, that is the greatest offense.)

(3) To disobey the orders of the spiritual master.

(4) To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in pursuance of the Vedic version.

(5) To consider the glories of chanting Hare Krishna to be imagination.

(6) To give some interpretation to the holy name of the Lord.

(7) To commit sinful activities on the strength of the holy name of the Lord. (It should not be taken that because by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can be freed from all kinds of sinful reaction, one may continue to act sinfully and after that chant Hare Krishna to neutralize his sins. Such a dangerous mentality is very offensive and should be avoided.)

(8) To consider the chanting of Hare Krishna as one of the auspicious ritualistic activities offered in the Vedas as fruitive activities (karma-kanda).

(9) To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy name. (Anyone can take part in chant¬ing the holy name of the Lord, but in the beginning one should not be instructed about the transcendental potency of the Lord. Those who are too sinful cannot appreciate the transcendental glories of the Lord, and therefore it is better not to instruct them in this matter.)

(10) To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names and to maintain material attach¬ments, even after understanding so many instructions on this matter.

Every devotee who claims to be a Vaishnava must guard against these offenses in order to quickly achieve the desired success. (Excerpts from Nectar of Devotion)